The instant invention pertains to vacuum cleaners and in particular to coin operated, commercial vacuum cleaners which are stationary. Car wash facilities for consumer automobiles have typically included some provision for self service use of vacuum cleaning apparatus. Such devices have become revenue production devices with the inclusion of coin mechanisms to provide means for charging for use of the vacuum cleaning device. The proliferation of so-called xe2x80x9cconveniencexe2x80x9d stores has also increased the demand for vacuum cleaning machines available to the public for use in cleaning interiors of motor vehicles of all kinds. Particularly in the setting of a xe2x80x9cconveniencexe2x80x9d store, a stationary, coin-operated, self-service vacuum cleaner is desirable.
Existing vacuum cleaners are frequently made from sheet steel rolled into a cylindrical canister. A vacuum motor works upon the cavity of the canister to create a reduced air pressure within the canister in order to effect the desired suction through hoses styled to communicate with the canister""s interior. Coin mechanisms are usually welded to the outside of the canister in order to make them convenient to the user and for appropriate connection to control the vacuum cleaning device.
The canister of the typical existing vacuum cleaner is somewhat bulky and heavy, the canister weighing over one hundred ten pounds and standing over forty-two inches tall. Because of the size and weight of an existing canister, freight by truck must be utilized to ship the vacuum cleaner and express and small package shipment cannot be used.
Additionally, typical canister come equipped with a coin mechanism housing which is welded to the canister sidewall. Further, existing canisters are equipped with two access doors through the sidewall of the canister, an upper one provided for access to the filtration bags within the canister and a lower one for access to the debris pan located at or near the bottom of the canister. The presence of two access doors leads to increased manufacturing cost and more opportunities for vandalism of the canister. When either access door is left open or damaged, the vacuum cleaner is rendered substantially nonfunctioning. A need exists for a canister which can be shipped at lower cost and which may be made with less susceptibility to vandalism.
It is an object of the invention to provide a vacuum cleaner for stationary application such as at car wash facilities, which may be shipped by express delivery or package delivery services. Accordingly, the invention is a vacuum cleaner having a two-piece canister. The canister includes an upper housing which provides a mounting plate for blower motors, a coin mechanism housing mountable to the sidewall of the upper housing, and a bottom cover which is provided with at least one opening. A lower housing is mountable below the upper housing with a gasket ring between the upper housing and the lower housing to make the abutment between the upper housing and the lower housing substantially air tight. The lower housing includes a top cover with openings through it which register with the opening or openings of the bottom cover of the upper housing.
The lower housing includes a debris pan mountable near or at the bottom of the housing, along with brackets for securing the canister to a horizontal surface. An inlet opening is made in the sidewall of the lower housing to permit attachment of a vacuum hose. The openings in the top cover and the openings in the bottom cover allow filtration bags to be installed in an inverted fashion with the open ends of the filtration bags restrained below the top cover of the lower housing. The coin mechanism housing overlies an access opening in the sidewall of the upper housing which may be accessed when the coin mechanisms removed from the coin mechanism housing.
Further objects of the invention include (a) providing a vacuum cleaner for stationary mounting which has a hidden access opening which may only be accessed with the coin mechanism removed; (b) providing a vacuum canister which can be separated into separate units to reduce the risk of lifting injuries to a person installing or moving the vacuum cleaner; (c) providing an aesthetically pleasing vacuum cleaner which includes a band to overlie the mounting of the upper housing to the lower housing.
Another object of the invention is to provide a public-accessible vacuum cleaner for stationary application which has a hidden filtration bag access door, thereby reducing the incidence of nonfunctionality of the vacuum cleaner from misuse or vandalism.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from examination of the description and claims which follow.